Baseball Recap: Fort Wayne Crusaders Finds Home Field Redemption Against Lakewood Park Christian

There's no place like home for Fort Wayne Crusaders, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Saturday. They came out on top against the Lakewood Park Christian Panthers by a score of 6-2 on Tuesday. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Fort Wayne Crusaders also won the last time the pair played back in April of 2024.

Christian Bontrager made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.

Bontrager wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Shepard Merica, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. That stolen base marked the first that Merica has snagged this season. Another was Justin Boyd, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and one run.

Fort Wayne Crusaders was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Fort Wayne Crusaders' first win this season bumped their record up to 1-5. As for Lakewood Park Christian, they are on a ten-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-13.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Fort Wayne Crusaders will square off against Fort Wayne Canterbury at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. As for Lakewood Park Christian, they will venture away from home to face off against Fort Wayne Wayne at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.